Joshua Beckford, Future Doctor, at Age 12: “I Want to Change the World”

Joshua Beckford has never been the typical child. At two years old, he quickly mastered reading fluently using phonics and was speaking Japanese by the age of three. At the age of six he became the youngest person in the world to study Philosophy and History at the prestigious University of Oxford in England, gaining a distinction in both subjects.

In 2011, his father wanted to challenge his son, so he wrote to the university to see if he could participate in a philosophy course for bright children between the age of eight and thirteen. They agreed, and Joshua was the youngest student ever accepted. He even passed with distinction.

So, what does a super scholar study? Joshua excels at science, math, history, foreign languages and history. He dreams of being a neurosurgeon and is well on his way by practicing gall bladder removals and appendectomy procedures.

“Since the age of four, I was on my dad’s laptop and it had a body simulator where I would pull out organs. I want to save the earth. I want to change the world and change peoples ideas to doing the right things about earth.”

When he isn’t studying and achieving more than many adults, Joshua also serves as the face of the National Autistic Society’s Black and Minority (BME) campaign. Diagnosed with high functioning autism himself, Joshua helps to spread the campaign’s mission of highlighting obstacles blacks face when trying to obtain access to necessary autism support and services.

In 2017 Joshua won the Positive Role model award for age at the National Diversity Awards.